


What Was Real and Fake

by Symph95



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Royalty, Angst, Arranged Marriage, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Haikyuu Angst Week, Haikyuu Angst Week 2020, M/M, Princes & Princesses, Royalty, Sad Ending
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-07
Updated: 2020-11-07
Packaged: 2021-03-09 04:42:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,340
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27428875
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Symph95/pseuds/Symph95
Summary: Prince Asahi is forced into arranged marriage, but the problem is, he has never been in a relationship and doesn't know how to navigate being a husband. Nishinoya decides to help him out
Relationships: Azumane Asahi/Nishinoya Yuu
Comments: 3
Kudos: 22
Collections: Haikyuu Angst Week 2020





	What Was Real and Fake

**Author's Note:**

> Well hello there! I hope you are all doing well and enjoy my contribution to haikyuu angst week :D Hope this doesn't break anyone's heart too much <3

“Then date me.”

Asahi startled at the worlds, nearly falling off the bench onto the sandy sparring grounds below. When his moment of gawking ceased, he expected Nishinoya to smile with that joking grin he did after saying silly things.

He was grinning, as always, but there was no humor in his pulled cheeks and unyielding eyes. His chest was puffed, and Asahi knew he meant it. But that didn’t mean he regretted complaining any less.

“But what if my parents find out,” Asahi said. “This wouldn’t be a slap on the wrist! They’d kill me! And you… and…  _ and _ how would it affect our relations with the Shimizu’s? This whole arrangement is to keep them from being angry. They’d declare war or something! Who knows…”

Asahi took to biting at his thumb. His stomach swirled as visions of shouting and fighting and bleeding filled his mind. 

“You worry too much,” Nishinoya said. “We tell them it’s fake! It’s for your practice, right? They can’t get mad at you for wanting to learn how to woo your little princess.”

Asahi melted further, the evening sun surprisingly not the culprit this time. The glint in Nishinoya’s eyes burned far hotter. But it wasn’t that bothersome, nor as humid as Asahi was used to.

“This seems risky.”

“Hey I’m just trying to be a good friend and you out. Do you want Kiyoko thinking you’re a bad kisser on your wedding day?”

“We have to kiss?”

“To get his royal highness ready for his princess hell yeah! There’s no feelings attached or anything so there isn’t a problem. I’m showing you the ropes and how to impress her!”

Asahi’s head rose slowly as though he were pulling it from a pool of water. His royal garments fit him horribly and dragged in the sandy pits the guards trained in. But in order to pick himself up and make this whole exchange work, he’d have to go through with this. Whether he liked it or not, he did  _ have  _ to impress Kiyoko. The fate of his whole kingdom rested on that.

“Okay,” Asahi said slowly. “Fine.”

Nishinoya cheered far louder than Asahi wanted. “Woo! Guess who’s going to make this prince a love master? This guy.”

Asahi decided he couldn’t wait.

Nishinoya’s first ‘lesson’, as he called it, was how to flirt. Between all of the preparations for Asahi and Kiyoko’s wedding, he snuck into the courtyards to learn. He couldn’t tell if getting love advice from his best friend’s fake wedding was worse than pretending to be somewhat interested in talking to Kiyko’s parents and what his suit would be.

The sun glowed overhead, a furnace sticking sweat to every part of Asahi’s vest. It sparkled over the stone courtyard and caught the dew of the morning flowers. They looked like tears and cried when the wind shook them. Nishinoya stomped through them, glistening without an inch of grime stuck to him.

“So first you need to woo me,” Nishinoya said. “Since you didn’t really ask me out, entice me some other way.”

“Woo? That sounds pretty difficult.” Asahi said.

“It’s not just compliment me.”

“Um… I think your boots are nice?”

Nishinoya shook his head. His arms crossed over his chest, and he looked anything but flattered. More so like he’d been rejected. Asahi concluded he was not good at this.

“You’re doing it all wrong! I’d leave you to drink by yourself or probably ignore you for the rest of the evening. Do you want that on your wedding night?” Nishinoya said. “Of course not! You need more passion!” 

Asahi wilted. “I really like your boots.”

Nishinoya threw his hands in the air, shaking his head with a furious velocity before turning away.

“Wait!” Asahi said as Nishinoya stalked to the other end of the courtyard. “I need you to teach me. I can’t mess this up.”

Nishinoya stopped and let out a laugh. He turned over his shoulder, and Asahi concluded that he didn’t like the glint in his eyes.

“Then I’ll just have to show you.” He said.

Asahi gulped as Nishinoya strode back towards him. Sly as a fox, he smirked and placed a hand on his collar. Hot breaths caught on Asahi’s cheeks.

“Those eyes of yours really match your vest. Both nice and sparkly, huh?”

The rustle of grass huffed through the courtyard.

“Nishinoya, I might be bad at this whole flirting thing, actually I know I am, but somehow I think that’s not going to work.”

“Huh?” Nishinoya pulled away. His boots stomped loudly on the pavement like a little storm. His face blew wide as through the world whispered to him its deepest secret.

“No that was amazing!” he said.

Asahi shook his head, drawing his shoulder together. He traced the grooves on the palm of his hand to calm the offbeat jump of his heart.

“Nishinoya I appreciate the sentiment, but if this is going to work we have to take this more, uh, seriously. I guess not a real relationship but something genuine.”

“So, like, step it up?”

“Make it more realistic. Not as though I’m your best friend, and we’re messing around.”

“Well then,” Nishinoya started. He pondered for a moment, hand on his chin as always. His face flashed suddenly. “I’ve got it! I’ll take you on a date! A real one, not the one I initially planned, and I’ll set everything up. We’ll go at nine, I can pick you up. Be at the castle gates, don’t be late!”

Before Asahi could say another word, Nishinoya was off ,racing down the stone pat to put together whatever plan he envisioned. Asahi expected himself to slump, but his chin raised. Two weeks until the ceremony. Somehow he was certain he could learn this whole romance thing with Nishinoya’s help. They could pull it off.

To his surprise, Asahi found Nishinoya sporting his best outfit when he reached the gate ten minutes before noon. His black vest was buttoned down and his hair even looked combed.

Asahi wave sheepishly while Nishinoya looked up at him.

“Hey.” Asahi said.

“You’ve failed this date already,” Nishinoya said.

Asahi’s blood turned cold. He froze as Nishinoya closed himself off with arms over his chest. He squeezed them tightly, effectively depleting Asahi’s oxygen levels. 

“What?” he all but wheezed.

“First, compliment me  _ with  _ passion this time!”

“Umm okay.”

Asahi scratched the back of his head, playing with his silver hairband. He dropped his hand after taking a deep breath.

“You look stunning in that suit…,” Asahi said. “I mean really good. Not, uh—”

“Hey, that was really good!”

“Really?”

“Yeah! My heart’s pounding and everything. Here, feel it!”

Nishinoya took Asahi’s hand in his own and pulled it over his chest. After Asahi’s own heart died down a beat or two, his fingers stretched out. Under his fingertips, a drum pounded at a high bpm. A bird slammed at its cage to be let out and fly free.

“And now step two is complete!” Nishinoya said.

He held up their intertwined hands as evidence. Asahi decided he liked the warmth in his palm and face.

“And now we’re off!”

The two made their way through the square, hands still latched together in an unbreakable bond. Merchants called them over and still their lifeline remained. 

Nishinoya’s hand fit correctly. Basket threads intertwined together in perfect fashion. They wove into Asahi and drew over Nishinoya as well, building Asahi his own grounded sanctuary.

He reminded himself when they headed to the bakery that none of this was real.

Asahi paid for their items of a few cakes and sandwiches before heading out to the hill Nishinoya promised their picnic to be.

Over the green planes, a river stretched below. It whispered small songs as Nishinoya and Asahi got situated. Beside it an endless sea of green stretched into the horizon. Asahi concluded he loved the sight.

Only once they sat down did their hands finally release. Asahi couldn’t forget the warmth. His fingers ached for its return, but he kept his palms downturned on his lap. The less attached the better.

Nishinoya set out his cake while Asahi played with the sandwich wrapper, struggling to find the edges. He latched on the corner when Nishinoya tapped his knee.

“Feed me.” He said.

“What?” 

“Feed me a bite? They do that at the ceremony, right?”

Nishinoya held up the cake as evidence.

“Umm… Alright.”

Asahi took the fork Nishinoya gave him and cut a piece of cake. He aimed it at Nishinoya’s mouth, but as he got closer his hands trembled and the cake splattered on the side of his face.

Letting out a cry, Asahi began apologizing profusely, nearing on his hands and knees. Without a napkin in sight, he took off his jacket and dabbed the frosting from Nishinoya’s cheek.

As he wiped the rest of it off, Nishinoya stopped him. His eyes grinned.

“Now that’s what a real boyfriend would do.”

Their relationship became a full time ordeal. Anytime that Asahi wasn’t partaking in wedding preparations, he was out with Nishinoya. The town shops were common places, the hills too. Asahi brough Nishinoya to the forest one day and ‘kept him safe’ from the wilderness. They complimented every they could about the other and held hands from start to finish if they could help it.

One date they spent the entire time learning how to hold each other correctly. Nishinoya’s first demonstration placed Asahi on his butt and in return Asahi dropped Nishinoya a few times before he got the hang of it and could easily sweep him off his feet. On another day they worked on cuddling. Where was each arm supposed to go in different positions. Asahi took only two tries before they were comfortable, and Nishinoya even fell asleep in his embrace. With his eyes closed, Asahi allowed himself to stare longer than what was necessary. But he didn’t stop.

Their next date Nishinoya concluded he had sexy eyes. They looked genuine as well. His compliments too. 

But it was all fake, right?

After two weeks of dating, the night before the wedding appeared in a flash. It was their last date, a final test. They agreed to stop at dawn the next day. But Asahi didn’t want it.

They decided to go to the hill from their first date. This time, however, the stars were in full display. Asahi fed Nishinoya and held his hand and whispered every single thing he loved about him, all with a passion brighter than the sky overhead.

And Nishinoya nodded but didn’t respond. That was definitely a first.

Under the gaze of the stars, Asahi believed they might stop their movement. The night sky would lock in position and never move an inch. If there was a shooting star, he wished for that.

“Did I tell you your eyes are really pretty?” Asahi said. “The stars don’t even compare.”

“Yeah,” Nishinoya said.

The river sang a hymn in an off key tone. 

Asahi scooted closer to Nishinoya and he was allowed to place his arms around him.

“Is this nice?” Asahi said.

“It’s perfect Azumane.”

“I think you’re more perfect.”

Wind billowed between them. It took the conclusion of the water’s song for Nishinoya to fill the silence with a silence. He sat up and Asahi followed suit. He followed those eyes that weren’t glittering anymore.

“I guess it's time for your final lesson,” Nishinoya said. “Kiss me.”

The river started a new tune, far more in tune this time. Asahi’s heart became the metronome of its melody.

“Are you sure? I’ve never kissed anyone before. I don’t—”

“Don’t worry Asahi,” Nishinoya said. “Just do what feels right. If you don’t want to, I get it. You’re going to be a great husband either way.”

Ah, there it was. The truth of everything. That this was all fake. 

But the glint in Nishinoya’s eyes was bright. Brighter than the stars and stronger than the stream. And Asahi fell into his magnetic field. His lips pulling him towards them.

“I want to… Can I?”

With the slightest nod of his head, he brought their lips together. The taste of strawberries and sugar warmed Asahi’s gut and he pushed deeper into the soft expanse.

They pulled away, staring at the glittering eyes before them. Asahi concluded that Nishinoya actually glowed. His cheeks burned with a smile brighter than the sky above.

“Could we… do that again?” Asahi asked. “For practice of course.”

“Sure… for practice.”

And they kissed once more. And a third time, and a fourth. They held each other with the promise that none of this was real. That it was all fake.

But in their hearts they felt the realness of a romance they could never have.

When Kiyoko walked down the aisle the next day, she was supposedly beautiful. Dark hair was swept into light curls that hund down the sides of her face. She shined with makeup and cheeks and lips so red they rivaled the finest rose. Her blue eyes matched the highlights of aqua on her white gown.

But to Asahi, the dress could use more tailoring and her face was dull. There was no life in her eyes. Nonetheless, when she stood before him at the altar, he put on his best grin.

“Your eyes compliment your dress beautifully,” He said with the passion of someone lacking everything.

But she smiled, and her cheeks grew a hotter shade. The kingdom grinned at that.

And so the ceremony went. The preacher spoke, but Asahi’s ears were clogged. He took her hand in his and concluded it didn’t fit well. His fingers didn’t match the grooves of hers.

His eyes looked away only once. He spared no other glances his way for that was a fantasy. This was real life.

The views were real, the connection was real, the rings were real.

But when their lips met and drowned out all that was fake, he knew this love wasn’t real. 

**Author's Note:**

> Well hope you all enjoyed!! I wanted to do more for angst week but alas things got a little hectic. I was determined to write this for my friend tho! Anyways, I hope everyone is staying safe and keeping themselves happy! See you all soon and have a great day :DDDDD


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